Are you a purposeful planner?

Do you plan purposefully to write?

Years ago I had a popular program I called Purposeful Planning for Christian Entrepreneurs. For some reason just recently, I opened it up to take a look at it and moved it from archived to active again in my courses. I must’ve talked about it because the next thing I knew two separate people were expressing interest in it. I figured it was a great opportunity to take it out for a spin with them and to ask them to be beta readers and give me some feedback. So, that’s exactly what we did and we were beyond thrilled with the results!

I want to encourage you to write a plan, for without plans, we fail to produce… Benjamin Franklin said it this way, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

I want to encourage you to embrace a plan specifically to write to enhance your business/ministry according to God‘s calling on your life. That looks different for everyone but is necessary for growth for everyone. And 

I want to introduce you to the Purposeful Planning program, and to the new edition of that program I am calling Purposeful Planning for Confident Writers!

Embrace a purposeful plan to write a plan1 and specifically to plan to write2 to enhance your ministry according to God‘s calling on your life. That looks different for everyone but is necessary for growth for everyone.

Karen Lindwall-Bourg

Based on the results we all experienced in planning purposefully, I doubt if I will ever archive this Purposeful Planning program/course again!

Thank you, Lord, for new directions and inspirations and clarity!

 

Write Your Plan.

Are you a planner?

I am a planner! I even have plans for my plans and lists for my lists and it works… when I work the plan and pick up the list and when I am confident that I have received direction from the Lord! He is my Source of confidence! You need a good idea and a next step to reach long-term goals and your target market. The first step is a written plan aligned with your core values! Your writing projects take hard work and a lot of time. Hanging in there with the step-by-step process for your writing project planning leads quickly to a good writing plan with major points to encourage your readers and fellow writers. 

“For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” 

Proverbs 3:26, NASB

What does the Lord say about planning?

With God’s guidance and trust in His Provision, the Bible says that planning is important.

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established”. The Bible also warns against being presumptuous or arrogant about our plans, as we do not know what the future holds. The Bible teaches that planning and wisdom go together.

So, seek God’s counsel and direction in all your endeavors.

The word “plan” appears over 200 times throughout the books of the Bible. And while there is probably no best way to plan, He gives us some directions for a good plan! Let’s look at just a few of those verses.

Be a diligent planner: Proverbs 21:5
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Sit Down! Consider the cost of not following God’s plan obediently: Luke 14:28
“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”

Commit your work to the Lord. He establishes your plans!: Proverbs 16:3

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. This is His Promise!

God’s plans for you are filled with hope: Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

God’s purposes are your priority: Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. And what are His purposes? The overarching message the Bible tells us is that our purpose is to bring glory to our Heavenly Father. We do that by worshiping Him, living our lives as an offering to Him, and sharing the Gospel with those around us. His purpose becomes our purpose. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

Be orderly: 1 Corinthians 14:40
But all things should be done decently and in order.

Be a doer; work as the ant works: Proverbs 6:6-8

• What can we learn from the ant in this Proverbs passage about planning?
• Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest. Also Proverbs 30:25

Add the Scriptures above and the quotes below to your vision board, writing journal, planner, or pins and revisit them as often as you can.

What do inspirational leaders say about planning?

Leaders are Planners! Planners are Leaders!

And they have a lot to say about planning. They all believe in the power of meticulous planning and planning ahead. They plan purposefully. 

Let’s look at just a few of their encouragements. I’ve obviously chosen my favorites as they align with my Purposeful Planning process, so bear with me!

1. Invest in intentional planning because “It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
2. Prepare to plan; prepare for tomorrow today. “For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” ~ African Proverb
3. Know, with confidence from the Lord, where you are going. “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” — Yogi Berra
4. Commit to seeing the plan through. “A plan is only as good as those who see it through. ~ Anonymous “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.” ~ Peter F. Drucker
5. Choose your tools wisely. “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first hour sharpening the axe.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
6. Take action! Planning is the foundation of success. So, create a blueprint for your future and take intentional steps toward achieving your dreams! “Planning without action is futile, action without planning is fatal.” ~ Cornelius Fichtner
7. Be flexible; adjust along the way! “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” ~ Confucius

Who would you quote to encourage us to plan well?

What does Karen say about planning?

• Your plans have to be purposeful and intentional. They don’t just happen because you dreamed about it and thought about it. They happen when you follow your action plan aligned with your unique mission statement, actionable vision statement, and select core values.
• Your plans have to be aligned with God’s calling on your life. 
  • What happens if they aren’t aligned with God’s calling on your life? Well, you head in wrong directions and stop and start and stop and start and wonder why you’re not making progress and touching lives with your new directions and your new offers. 
• Your plans have to be aligned with and able to serve those God brings before you.
  • What happens if your plans are aligned with God’s calling on your life? You head in an inspired and guided direction with the help of the Holy Spirit. You are on target, and you see your life transformed and the lives of those you serve transformed. Even better, you see yourself and your clients turning to the Lord with every step you take. What a blessing to be part of seeing your and their dreams come true.
• Your plans have to be specific according to your strategic goals as you hear from the Lord. 
• You have to commit to the God-given order for each planning stage. They must be aligned with your calling to serve, actionable, achievable, and measurable or trackable.
• Find a tool that helps you work with the Lord through a plan. Like the Purposeful Planning for Christian Entrepreneurs Workbook and Course! [shameless plug!]  Amazon.com: Purposeful Planning: for Christian Entrepreneurs Who Desire to Achieve Extraordinary Levels of Success Worth Celebrating eBook : Lindwall-Bourg, Karen: Kindle Store
• Check out my Course: Purposeful Planning for Confident Writers [https://karenbourgcoaching.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1167170 ] This could be the initial important step to help catapult your short-term goals in your writing life and writing process.

A plan that doesn’t evolve probably truly couldn’t be defined as a “plan” at all but more as a vision, or a dream, or a hope. Your unique plan will help propel your writing even if this is a new business for you or an established ministry; and when you struggle with writer’s block or have a solid writing plan and a prosperous writing career.

Now that you have a God-given plan for your writing ministry or business model and a confident project schedule, plan to write! I am a writer and my offers – services, programs and products – are mostly developed to encourage Christian Writers of all kinds.

Plan to Write. 

Do you purposefully plan to write?

I finally learned how to plan to write. Everything but writing was on my calendar and I kept wondering why I wasn’t reaching my writing goals! Has that ever happened to you?

Now, writing takes precedence on my calendar and I’m achieving so much more than I ever did before!

What does the Lord say about writing?

God’s Words:

The Bible is God’s written word! There is no better Writer! There are no greater Words! I am so grateful for His Words.

God’s written Word is a testament to the value of the written word. 

God’s words are His revelations and inspired words. His scribes spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit to write God‘s words down. 2 Timothy 3:16.

God commanded that his revelations and His very words be written down. The 10 Commandments were written on tablets by God‘s own finger in Exodus 31. God told Moses & Joshua and Jeremiah to write down His words in Exodus 34 and Jeremiah 30. The apostle John testified that he wrote down Jesus’ revelation that was communicated to him in Revelation 1. God commanded you to write down His laws and His divine instructions and teachings for your benefit and for others in Deuteronomy 31.

His words are written so you would remember and not forget God’s commands and His blessings, especially during your most difficult trials. I love the Psalms that encourage you to meditate on God’s Words, and remember His Presence as you witness others struggle through unimaginable griefs. One of my favorite Psalms is Asaph’s Psalm 77. I love the way he freely pours his heart out to the Lord in honesty, and doesn’t stop imploring of the Lord until he hears from the Lord and is comforted by Him.

God’s words are written so you will learn and grow in wisdom and righteousness and justice and equity. Proverbs 1, Deuteronomy 17, and like the Bereans in Acts 17.

His words were written so that you would pass His Truth on to future generations. The apostles referred to the Old Testament, and wrote to affirm their witness about Jesus in Luke 24 and Acts 17. Peter wrote so that others would be able to remember the truth and endure in 2nd Peter.

Old Testament prophets wrote down visions and prophecies, chronicling events and God’s messages. Jeremiah 20, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. They wrote to preserve the prophecies for future generations, to allow you to test and validate God‘s words, and to remind you of God‘s promises, and of His warnings. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry as they were eyewitnesses and testified to Christ teachings, miracles, death, and resurrection. Paul wrote to address theological matters, encourage believers, and provide guidance. Other New Testament letters were written to preach the gospel, give practical instructions for Christian living, settle disputes in the churches, teach deep theological truths, and to spread the gospel worldwide for decades and centuries after Christ’s ascension into heaven.

God‘s words offer blessings beyond your comprehension. His Words guide and light your paths. “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105. His Word illuminates your way through dark valleys and shows you which paths to take. His Words impart wisdom and joy. “I rejoice at Your word, As one who finds great spoil.” Psalm 119:162. His word uncovers precious truths about His faithfulness and compassion and mercy toward you. They give you hope, comfort, and abiding joy, because the word of God is sweeter than honey. Psalm 119:103 

God‘s words teach that His love is steadfast and His faithfulness endures throughout history. You read of the stories of human struggles, and how God intervened on behalf of His people in need, and are reminded that He does the same for you. He sees and cares for you. He does not abandon you. He reminds you, “Do not be afraid.“ He gives you courage and faith-filled confidence.

Writing in the Bible serves as a bridge between you and God, preserving divine truths and guiding believers throughout history. Read His writings diligently! Then write what HE calls you to write with increasing confidence.

Your Words:

Your written words should be divinely inspired by God so you diligently record His encouragements for others. 

 

In the Scriptures, God encourages you to write as a means of communication, expression, and preservation. And while there is probably no best way to write and best practices for writing vary, He gives us some directions for good writing goals!  Your words, inspired by a Loving God, are powerful to convey messages, record history, and inspire faith within yourself and within others.

In your writing, you should:

Write readily or willingly: My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. Proverb 4

Write God’s Words: His words given to you should be the foundation of every message you share.  “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you.” Jeremiah 30:2

That foundation from which you write is one of 

• steadfast love and faithfulness – “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.” (What a bonus!) Proverb 3:3-4
• praise and thanksgiving – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 And Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Write with a clear vision for the benefit of others. “And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.” Habakkuk 2:2

Write with confidence and strength from the Lord. Proverbs 3:26 – “For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” and Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” And Isaiah 40:30-31, “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

What do inspirational leaders say about writing?

I love learning about writing from writers I admire! I try to find interviews they have given with hints at writing prowess!  I write my first draft, and then I choose from their specific goals and step-by-step guides to reach a finish line and end goal that pleases me and my reader.

One of my favorite writers is Jan Karon who is famous for her Mitford Series of fourteen books that tell the story of a North Carolina small town with a wholesome heart. She writes of extraordinary but ordinary and endearing townsfolk who become family before you know it. They are tight-knit, loving, faithful, loyal, and friendly (well, most of them are) and they survive the toughest challenges and hurdles life can bring. Who doesn’t love a survivor?  In her interview, I learned 

1. “You are called to write and sealed.” Jan Karon quoted Blaise Pascal who said, “ There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can’t be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.“ She charges you as a writer to remember your calling and remember your sealing! 

[from Karon, Jan. Writing and Wrestling with the Heart: Jan Karon’s Washington National Cathedral Lecture. Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.]

Let’s hear from other writers:

1. Your courage is reborn: “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” —Anne Frank
2. You are an explorer! “The writer is an explorer. Every step is an advance into a new land.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

I also love C. S. Lewis!

1. You write to understand. “First, I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already clear in my mind. If it were clear in my mind, I should have no incentive or need to write about it. We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.”
2. Your writing enriches, irrigates, cures. “Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” And “Whenever you are fed up with life, start writing: ink is the great cure for all human ills, as I have found out long ago.”
3. Write continually as well as you can about what interests you! “What you want is practice, practice, practice. It doesn’t matter what we write (at least this is my view) at our age, so long as we write continually as well as we can. I feel that every time I write a page either of prose or of verse, with real effort, even if it’s thrown into the fire the next minute, I am so much further on.” And “Write about what really interests you, whether it is real things or imaginary things, and nothing else.”
4. Writing is inspired. “I never exactly made a book. It’s rather like taking dictation. I was given things to say.” 

1. S. Lewis Quotes About Writing | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)

What does Karen say about writing?

• I say, if you are working within your God-given calling, you are probably writing something every single workday.
• I say, if you are writing every single workday, you are a real writer. It doesn’t matter if you don’t consider yourself an author, you should consider yourself a writer. [Karen/Callie – NOTE to Link to the blog, you are a real writer, which I don’t think has been published yet FINISH IT!!! ]
• I say, once you’ve mapped out a plan to write to enhance your business/ministry, and to serve the Lord by serving others He has placed before you…. You’ve got to buckle down and follow the plan and get to “writin”!!! Just do it!
• Writing things by hand is magical, opens up a flow of creativity, and actually boosts your memory. I hate it. You have a tried-and-true method of writing that works for you – by hand, typing, dictating, and more. Challenge: Step out of that familiar place as often as you can, even if just for a few minutes and see what floodgates open up!
• Remember F.O.C.U.S. stands for – Follow One Course Until Successful or Follow One Commitment Until Successful 
• Make a PACT – Plan, take Action, Commit, Track – from Kim Hawkins (kimshawkins .com)
• Your writing should spring first from your firm foundation of Devotion to God – Who is loving and Faithful. Psalm 115:1 – “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, But to Your name give glory Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth [Or faithfulness].” In Luke 10:38-42, Jesus impressed upon sister Martha that while her preparations and serving were good, Mary chose the good or better part – the best or necessary service was to sit at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.

It doesn’t always take much time, once first things come first!  Ask God for that initial idea and begin to establish tiny writing habits and God-sized big ideas and main ideas that will reach your readers with strong points and increase their confidence! 

Dear Writer, seek Him first. Consider what the Lord teaches in His Word about your calling and writing. Learn from Him and from others you admire. 

Join me and our Cultivating Faith-filled Confidence Writers at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cultivatingfaithfilledconfidence and then you will hear His voice saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant!

Be Confident and Blessed,

Karen

Karen is the Founder of Karen Bourg Companies and the RHEMA Group (with her husband Fred). She works with Christian women as they confidently navigate their paths – in life, through trials, and as they serve the Lord by receiving insight [rhema] from the Lord within their God-given calling.

https://karenbourg.com

Confidently Navigating Our Paths in Life, through Trials, and as Entrepreneurs by Receiving Rhemas from the Lord

Scriptures are taken from NASB or ESV unless otherwise noted.